Tom Murphy write-up on our set at Bar Standard during Westword Music Showcase:

 

There was a Wretch Like Me sticker on a case Abe Brennan of Joy Subtraction used for his pedals, probably because Brennan's kept the same case since those days. Along with the case, Brennan brings a great deal of the energy he had in his old band. Joy Subtraction had buzzing guitar tone and propulsive rhythms, not unlike if some hardcore kids discovered their own version of post-punk by breaking beyond any strictures of the aesthetic of their older music.

 

In the middle of the set, the band did a cover of "This Ain't No Picnic" by Minutemen and then did "Dignity Is a Luxury" and said they didn't write it. Perhaps not, it sounded like it could have been written by McClusky. Either way, there was some real force and aggression in the band's performance without the instinct for violence.

 

 

Joy Subtraction's unanticipated second LP in all its misery.